Photos: How rich are they that have patience

Showing off her tickets to the upcoming Royal Shakespeare Company performance is Kristin Mannella, No. 1 in line, who waited for 16 1/2 hours to make the purchase. For her commitment and enthusiasm, UMS provided Mannella with VIP seating on the main floor, center section, for all three plays. Assisting her with the transaction is UMS staff member Jenny Graf.

Lining up in the rain Sept. 29 for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) student ticket sale at the Power Center for the Performing Arts were over 700 studentssome arriving as early as 4:30 p.m. and camping out all nightto purchase the University Musical Society's specially priced student tickets to the RSC plays. Performances at the Power Center will take place between Oct. 24 and Nov. 12. "The level of interest in these plays among the students has been huge," says Kenneth Fischer, UMS president. In addition to the tickets released for this sale, over 2,000 other discounted RSC tickets have been made available to U-M students participating in the 19 courses faculty have developed as a result of the company's appearance on campus or participating in the Arts at Michigan program. The residency is a U.S. exclusive, with Ann Arbor the company's only appearance in this country during its Complete Works Festival between April 2006 and April 2007. "So far," Fischer says, "we know of people coming to Ann Arbor from 30 states to see the shows." For the list of 40 public RSC residency events and three exhibitions, go to www.ums.org. (Photos by Kenneth Fischer, University Musical Society)